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Psychology and Mental Health Dictionary Definitions - Periodic Limb Movement Disorder - Psychforums.com





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Periodic Limb Movement Disorder


Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), previously known as Nocturnal myoclonus, is a sleep disorder where the patient moves limbs involuntarily during sleep, and has symptoms or problems related to the movement.

If the patient moves limbs during sleep but there are no negative consequences, the condition is simply called periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS). Not all patients with PLMS have PLMD (in fact, most people with PLMS do not have a disorder, and do not require any treatment).

PLMD is diagnosed with the aid of a polysomnogram or PSG. PLMD is diagnosed by first finding PLMS on a PSG, then integrating that information with a detailed history from the patient and/or bed partner. PLMS can range from a small amount of movement in the ankles and toes, to wild flailing of all four limbs. These movements, which are more common in the legs than arms, occur for between 0.5 and 5 seconds, recurring at intervals of 5 to 90 seconds. A formal diagnosis of PLMS requires three periods during the night, lasting from a few minutes to an hour or more, each containing at least 30 movements followed by partial arousal or awakening.

PLMD can cause insomnia and daytime sleepiness. It is estimated to occur in approximately 4% of adults (aged 15-100), but is more common in the elderly, especially females, with up to 11% experiencing symptoms. PLMS appears to be related to restless legs syndrome (RLS) - a study of 133 people found that 80% of those with RLS also had PLMS. However the opposite is not true: many people who have PLMD do not also have restless leg syndrome.

Factors that increase the likelihood of PLMD in the absence of restless leg syndrome include being a shift worker, snoring, coffee drinking, stress, and use of hypnotics. Being a woman, the presence of musculoskeletal disease, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, cataplexy, doing physical activities close to bedtime and the presence of a mental disorder were significantly associated with having a higher risk of both PLMD and restless legs syndrome.

Read and post in our Periodic Limb Movement Disorder forum.

Source : Wikipedia.org


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